Basketball contains a variety of offensive and defensive skills which are difficult to learn, and especially difficult to master. One of the most important offensive skills to master is how to properly shoot the ball. Good shooting requires a player properly (and consistently) position the shooting hand underneath and around the ball. The proper shooting technique requires the thumb and forefinger of the player's shooting hand be positioned at an approximately 60 degree angle on the ball. The player's shooting hand is preferably positioned approximately 45 degrees to 65 degrees away from the player's forearm. The player's other hand (described herein as the “guide hand”) helps support or balance the ball, but does not enter into the actual shooting of the ball. The guide hand ideally comes off the ball just before the ball is released, but the guide hand should remain high, near the player's head.
If the player's fingers are in the wrong position in relation to the thumb; if the player's shooting hand is in the wrong position in relation to the player's forearm (i.e., the hand is cocked too far back or not far enough); if the player's guide hand is too close or too far away from the ball when the ball is released for a shot; or if the player's guide hand does not face player's shooting hand, the player will not have proper shooting technique. However, it is difficult for a player to watch and adjust the position of their hands when shooting. Also, it is hard for coaches and teachers to see what a player is doing wrong when shooting.
Thus, a variety of tools exist to train a player to shoot, and to allow coaches to better trouble-shoot a player's shot. Many of these tools are worn on a player's arms and/or elbows. However, a need exists for a basketball training device that is worn on the player's hands that immediately informs a player and/or teacher when the when the player is using improper shooting technique.
Similarly, one of the most important defensive skills to learn and to master is the proper defensive stance. In a proper defensive stance, the player is preferably balanced forward, knees bent, with the player's weight on the balls of the feet, with the feet about shoulder-width apart. The knees should be bent and the back straight. When moving in the defensive stance, the player should slide the feet sideways, using quick, short steps. While this may sound simple, when a player is tired, defense is often the first skill to fail. Tired players often don't keep their knees bent enough and tend to reach more with their arms, thus committing more fouls. Further, players often don't realize how much their defensive stance is suffering, regardless of how often the coach yells at them.
Thus, a variety of tools exist to train a player to play defense, even when tired, and to provide instantaneous feedback to a player when the defensive stance fails. Many of these tools are very complex items with multiple parts. Further, they are often bulky, expensive and uncomfortable. Therefore, a need exists for a simple yet comfortable basketball training device that immediately informs a player when the player is using in a poor defensive stance.